* En anglais uniquement
Adolescent glitter rocker
Ricky (sometimes "
Ricki")
Wilde was born
Richard James Reginald Steven Smith in London on November 6, 1961. The son of pre-
Beatles pop star
Marty Wilde and former Vernons Girls member Joyce Barker, he made his recorded debut at the age of 11, issuing "I Am an Astronaut" -- a marvelously weird homage to
Ziggy Stardust-era
Bowie, made all the remarkable by
Wilde's squeaky, prepubescent vocal stylings -- on convicted pedophile
Jonathan King's UK label in 1972. Despite starring in a BBC documentary titled Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and earning considerable ink in teen magazines both at home and abroad, the record cracked the Swedish Top Ten but was a flop everywhere else; a similar fate befell the follow-up, a 1973 reading of
Pat Boone's "April Love."
After the little-noticed "Do It Again, a Little Bit Slower,"
Wilde resurfaced in 1974 with "Mrs. Malinski," a tribute to a beloved teacher; with the would-be anthem "Teen Wave" the singer reached his creative zenith, delivering a glam classic notable for its prescient employment of the synthesizer. Yet again the public wasn't buying, however, and after one last stab at chart success with "I Wanna Go to a Disco,"
Wilde effectively retired at the age of 13. A 1980 comeback attempt proved most notable for launching the career of his older sister,
Kim --
Wilde and dad
Marty went on to co-write and co-produce
Kim's biggest hits, most famously the '80s-era anthem "Kids in America." In 1982,
Wilde also co-produced "Sensitive," the debut solo single by ex-
Japan member
Mick Karn. ~ Jason Ankeny